John Lafia, co-screenwriter of Child’s Play and director of The Blue Iguana and Man’s Best Friend, has died. According to Variety, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Lafia, who named the vengeful doll at the center of the Child’s Play franchise, died by suicide on April 29. He was 63.
In a statement shared with Variety by Lafia’s family, his Child’s Play collaborator Don Mancini said, “We’re devastated to hear of the passing of our friend John Lafia. He was a crucial part of the ‘Chucky’ family from the very beginning. He co-wrote the original Child’s Play script along with director Tom Holland and myself, and John directed Child’s Play 2—the consensus favorite film among Chucky fans. John was an incredibly generous artist. He let me tag along with him to every meeting, and shadow him on set; he taught me more about filmmaking during the production of that movie than several semesters in film school. John was also one of the most naturally curious and constantly creative people I ever met, someone who was always taking pictures, and jotting down ideas.”